A Rosemont public safety sergeant charged with armed robbery last month had been accused of using his position with the department to get a large group of individuals, including a convicted felon, into an event at the Allstate Arena without tickets or security checks earlier this year, according to legal documents filed by the department’s superintendent.

A formal complaint filed by Public Safety Superintendent Donald E. Stephens III asks the village’s public safety commission to order the firing of Sgt. Edward J. Karas, 40, based on allegations that he misused his authority at the Allstate Arena event and violated several department general orders and policies pertaining to conduct, uniform regulations, department loyalty, and a prohibition against assisting criminals — all of which allegedly occurred prior to his Sept. 13 arrest by Park Ridge police on armed robbery charges.

A message left with an attorney listed for Karas was not immediately returned Tuesday.

Rosemont Sgt. Joseph Balogh said the public safety commission will conduct a special meeting in response to Stephens’ complaint on Oct. 17 at Rosemont Village Hall.

The complaint asks the commission to suspend Karas without pay pending the outcome of a hearing on the allegations, and then approve his termination from the department.

Park Ridge police said Karas, a Rosemont resident, drove the getaway car in two armed robberies that occurred on the morning of Sept. 12 at a Shell gas station at Touhy Avenue and Dee Road in Park Ridge, and at a Exxon gas station on the 8500 block of Lawrence Avenue in Norridge.

The man accused of wearing a ski mask and brandishing a gun in the robberies was also charged with armed robbery and has been identified as Wright W. O’Laughlin, 54, of Chicago, police said.

Karas has been on administrative leave from the Rosemont Public Safety Department since June, pending an internal investigation unrelated to the armed robberies in which he is accused of being involved, authorities said.

According to Stephens’ complaint, Karas was off duty but wearing his public safety uniform on June 9 when he escorted a convicted felon known to the Rosemont public safety officials, in addition to “12 to 13” other individuals, into an event at the Allstate Arena, bypassing security and employees who were checking tickets.

None of the individuals who were reportedly escorted by Karas had tickets for the event and no one in the group was searched by security for weapons or other contraband, the Stephens’ complaint alleges. This action was “reckless and potentially endangered the participants at the event,” the complaint says.

On June 12, Karas was questioned by members of the Rosemont Public Safety Department where, the complaint alleges, he denied misusing his police authority to get the group into the Allstate Arena when they had not purchased tickets. Karas’ actions were caught on video however, the complaint says.

The complaint also alleges that Karas revealed information from his disciplinary interview to the convicted felon, who is referred to only as “John Doe” in the document. The man, Stephens’ complaint says, approached the superintendent at his home a few nights later “in an apparent attempt to influence him on behalf of Karas.”

The complaint alleges an “extensive relationship” between Karas and the man.

The complaint does not indicate what occurred next, but Park Ridge Police and Rosemont Public Safety said Karas had been placed on administrative leave in June pending the outcome of an internal investigation.

In September, while still on leave, Karas allegedly displayed an unauthorized Rosemont Department of Public Safety detective star and an unauthorized and expired department identification card to police officers “in an effort to avoid arrest” following a traffic stop, the complaint says.

Following this interaction with police, Karas was arrested in connection with the Sept. 12 armed robberies in Park Ridge and Norridge, the complaint says.

During his arrest, Karas was found in possession of several Rosemont Public Safety Department equipment, including a police radio, two bullet-proof vests, a taser, baton and a counterfeit police badge, according to the complaint.

Karas was released from Cook County Jail on Oct. 2 after his bond was reduced from $200,000 to $100,000 and 10 percent of the amount was posted, said Sophia Ansari, spokeswoman for the Cook County Sheriff’s Department.

Electronic monitoring was not part of his release, she said.

During a court appearance on Sept. 21, Judge Anjana Hansen told Karas that if he is released on bond, he must turn over any law enforcement equipment he has.

O’Laughlin, who was taken into custody with Karas, remained in Cook County Jail custody this week, according to the Sheriff’s Department.

According to budget documents released by the village of Rosemont, Karas’ annual salary as a public safety sergeant was set at $112,527 for 2018.